SRI International Network and Resources Center

ECUADOR
[en Español]

Overview

Jorge Gil Chang, director of the NGO Fundación para el Desarrollo Agrícola del Ecuador (FUNDEC) first reported on SICA (SRI) trials in Ecuador in 2008. Ten-day seedlings at 40x40 cm spacing yielded 8.8 t/ha, compared with 2.3 t/ha on the adjacent conventional plot. (Ecuador's national average yield at that time was 3.8 t/ha.) The conventional methods included five plants per hill, and 25x30 cm spacing, so the plant population was ten times greater than with SICA/SRI. Gil has also written a 68-page booklet (Cultivo de Arroz Sistema Intensificado SICA-SRI en Ecuador) that provides an overview of SRI globally and its potential in Ecuador. (See additional information on SRI in Ecuador in reports, presentations and videos sections). His findings were later reported at the First Workshop on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Latin America at EARTH University in Costa Rica, October 31 - November 1, 2011, and at the Second Regional Exchange: Advances with SRI in the Americas, October 10-12, 2017. During 2013, the Technical University of Babahoyo (UTB) undertook SRI trials and committed to continue conducting activities such as SRI/SICA and to transfer the technologies to small farmers. Gil Chang has also maintained an active SRI/SICA Facebook discussion group since 2014.

Progress and Activities

2022

• Organic SRI Garners More Support in Guayas Province

  [May 15, 2022] Atilio Mendoza Calderón, a small producer from San Pedro, Cantón Santa Lucía (Guayas), got tired of using chemical products and large amounts of fertilizers on his land for rice production. He bet on a pilot plan executed by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in agreement with the Prefecture of Guayas for the production of ecological rice with less use of fertilizers and that also reduces production costs by around of 600 dollars per hectare. Don Atilio became aware of the damage caused to health by the abuse of pesticides and the importance of preventing toxins from entering the human body through the consumption of rice. To achieve this goal, he adopted a new System of Rice Intensification (SRI or SICA). He explains that one neede to plow, laser level and then add organic nutrients to the soil so that the microorganisms that have been killed by the misapplication of too much toxic chemicals re reactivated.

  Rodolfo Campos, representative of the Ibero-American Institute of Cooperation for Agriculture IICA in Ecuador, an organization that promotes this type of project, believes that based on this experience in the province of Guayas, it can be extended to other producing areas of the country. For Campos, it is also important to “change the mentality of the consumer, so that they go to more organic products, which is the trend in the world." The prefect of Guayas, Susana González, estimates that without IICA, it would have been impossible to carry out the mechanized SRI/SICA project, which reconditions degraded soils. "This is an inclusive agriculture that makes visible the face of our small farmers who are dedicated to cultivating the land to feed Ecuadorians...We propose to regenerate the soil worn out for more than 40 years due to excessive synthetic fertilization and the use of pesticides. Regarding the environment, we propose not to burn the residue but to reuse it as organic matter to strengthen the soil.” [See articles in Expreso and in AgriEcuador for more information.

2017 Activities

• The Second Regional Exchange: Advances with SRI in the Americas

  [December 15, 2017] Ecuador participated in the Second Regional Exchange: Advances with SRI in the Americas, which took place in Ibagué, Colombia from October 10-12, 2017. During the meeting, participants from the countries of Colombia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panamá, Trinidad-Tobago, and Venezuela presented the results of their experiences with SRI with the objective of exchanging information, lessons learned and opportunities for adapting SRI in the Americas. This Second Regional Exchange was organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the National Federation of Rice Growers of Colombia (FEDEARROZ), within the framework of the Project "Cultivate more with less: Adaptation, validation and promotion of the intensive system of rice cultivation (SRI) in the Americas as a response to climate change." The project was financed by FONTAGRO and the GEF. Jorge Vicente Gil Chang, Executive Director in Fundec., Foundation for Agricultural Development of Ecuador, presented on behalf of Ecuador.[See Ecuador poster presentation from the conference.]

• Ecuador's Experience with SRI
  

  [December 12, 2017]  Jorge Vicente Gil Chang (right), pioneer of SRI in Ecuador and Executive Director of the Foundation for Agricultural Development of Ecuador (Fundec), shared his experiences regarding SRI in Ecuador at the Second Regional Exchange: Advances with SRI in the Americas. He indicated that while there are currently only two people are working with SRI in the country, he hopes to serve more of the small-scale rice producers which represent 75% of the total rice producers in Ecuador. Traditionally, the farmers plant using 5 to 10 seeds/hill. Others sow by transplanting 30-35 day-old seedlings, mainly due to problems with apple snail. The average yields are between 4.5 to 5 ton / ha.

  Given this situation, the SRI methodology constitutes an interesting alternative, since it has allowed an increase in tillage (20 conventional tillers and 47.5 SRI tillers), panicles (18 conventional units and 44 SRI units), less use of seed (100 kg / ha conventional and 10 kg / ha in SRI), as well as an increase in yields (4.5 ton / ha conventional and 8.8 ton / ha SRI). Among these advantages, less phytosanitary problems were mentioned, including better control of the apple snail since the land does not remain flooded in the vegetative phase thus avoiding the problem.

  Transplanting with SRI involves careful planting of younger seedlings and water management in order to yield positive results, so there must be adequate training and overal prep of leaders, producers and technicians about SRI principles, adoption and benefits. Rice producers need to learn by doing and develop validation plots with technical support and eventually they can disseminate and demonstrate their results to other producers.

  Jorge Vincente also highlights the importance of government institutions, associations and other entities linked to rice production being involved in the development and promotion of the SRI methodology given the results and the benefits proven in Ecuador in terms of yield, responsible water use, higher incomes and improved adaptation to climate change. [See conference poster]

2013 Updates

• Babahoyo Technical University Announces Results of SRI Demonstration Plots

  [August 1, 2013] On July 23, 2013, the results of SRI trials using intermittent irrigation on Gonzalo Jiménez's field were released in an event attended by Ing. Bolívar Lupera Icaza, Rector of the Technical University of Babahoyo (UTB); Anchundia Zoila Sanchez, UTB General Administrative Vice Chancellor; Mr. Victor Andrade Mendoza, Director of Technology Transfer for Water Management and Renewable Natural Resources (Cetta); Mr. Antonio Alcívar Torres, director of Research and Development Institute; Jorge Gil Chang, proponent of SRI in the Bañón area Los Rios Province; Marcos Perez, Coordinator of Research and Development Institute of UTB; farmers in the area, and about 50 students of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering at UTB. Jorge Gil Chang noted some of the advantages of SRI/SICA, including reduced need for purchased inputs; improvements in plant hardiness, root development, and productivity; significant saving of seed and water (1/3 to 1/2 of the usual amount); decreased soil toxicity due to oxygenation of the soil; and decreased production of methane.

  At the end of the event, the university committed to continue conducting activities such as SRI/SICA and to transfer the technologies to small farmers, thereby fulfilling the objectives of the National Plan for Good Living, Food Sovereignty, Water Resources Management in a sustainable manner, which is also in line with the mission and vision of the UTB. (For details, see Spanish language article.)

2011-2012 Updates

• Multimedia Document Ecuador's Experiences with SRI

  Jorge Gil Chang provided a PowerPoint presentation of his 2008 SRI experiences in Ecuador for the First Workshop on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Latin America and the Caribbean that was held at EARTH University, Costa Rica, on October 31 - November 1, 2011. During 2012, he provided a video of his 2008 experience with SRI in San Gabriel, Caule, Guayas. During August 2012, the Spanish language video (based on the 2008 experiences), Sistema Intensificado de Cultivo de Arroz SRI - SICA en Ecuador, was made available on SRI-Rice's YouTube channel.

2009

• Spanish-Language Booklet on SRI Experiences with SRI/SICA in Published

  An 80-page booklet on past experiences with SRI/SICA in Ecuador and future prospects for its development spread there has been by published by Jorge V. Gil Chang in collaboration with Admicorporación, SA, Greenpeace and the Fundación para el Desarrollo Argícola en el Ecuador (FUNDEC). The Spanish-language publication, Sistema Intensificado de Cultivo de Arroz S.R.I./S.I.C.A., also summarizes information on SRI/SICA from around the world. For information on how to obtain copies, please contact the author or see the related 2008 online publication.

2008

• Ecuador Joins the "SRI Club"

  Jorge Gil Chang, director of the NGO Fundación para el Desarrollo Agrícola del Ecuador (FUNDEC), has reported on first-season trials in Ecuador, conducted in 2008 on a 1200 m2 plot, using 10-day seedlings and 40x40 cm spacing. The paddy yield with SICA/SRI methods was 8.8 t/ha, compared with 2.3 t/ha on the adjacent control plot with conventional methods (shown at right), and 3.8 t/ha as the national average yield in Ecuador. The conventional methods included 5 plant per hill, and 25x30 cm spacing, so the plant population was 10 times greater than with SICA/SRI.

  A second crop evaluated the effects of 1 vs. 2 seedlings per hill using SICA methods. Sterile spikelets were, respectively, 3 and 5.5%, and grains per panicle were 140 vs. 127, respectively. In his SRI trials, Jorge and colleagues are using azolla and Effective Microorganisms (EM). (see Spanish language FUNDEC report for more information. the a video of the 2008 experiences).

• Booklet Provides Overview of SRI (SICA) in Ecuador and Globally

  Jorge Gil Chang has also written a 68 page Spanish-language booklet, Cultivo de Arroz Sistema Intensificado SICA-SRI en Ecuador, that provides an overview of SRI globally as well as current research and potential for further developing SRI in Ecuador.

Reports and Articles

• Valdiviezo Freire, Wilfrido, Roberto Evaristo Celi Herán, and María Leticia Vivas Vivas. 2023. Impacto del sistema intensivo de cultivar arroz (SICA) en el Ecuador. Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar 7(2): 11198-11213. doi:10.37811/cl_rcm.v7i2.6197
• Zambrano, Lina. 2022. El arroz agroecológico, la opción al insumo caro, Expreso, April 23.
• 2022. Arroz orgánico, con menos químicos y fertilizantes se impulsa en la provincia del Guayas. AgroEcuador website. April 18.
• López, Cristian Valdivieso, and Vera Montenegro. 2018. Tiempo do trasplante en la productividad del cultivo de arroz, Oryza sativa INIAP-11. Revista ESPAMCIENCIA 9(1): 7-12.
• Witkowski, Kelly and Diddier Moreira. 2017. Informe segundo intercambio regional: Avances cons SRI en las Américas [Read online (slideshare.net). Also, 15MB hi-res download version; or 5MB download version without posters]. SRI-Rice website. (50p., 4MB pdf) [Spanish language document about a regional workshop related to the Proyecto Cultivar más con menos: Adaptación, validación y promoción del Sistema Intensivo del Cultivo Arrocero (SRI) en las Américas como una respuesta al cambio climático. The workshop was held October 10-12 in Ibagué, Colombia.] [See also shorter description in English.]
• Ochoa, Esteban, et al. 2017. Comparación de un sistema de intensificación del cultivo de arroz (SICA) con sistemas tradicionales de siembra en la zona de Churute, Ecuador (Comparing a system of rice intensification (SRI) with traditional cropping systems in Churute, Ecuador). Ciencia y Tecnología (Cienc Tecn UTEQ) 10(1): 1-6.
• Guale, Alfredo Saltos. 2017. Adaptación climática agraria. El Universo, May 18.
• Gil Chang, Jorge V. 2017. ¿Qué es el SRI? 2017. El Telégrafo. June 16.
• IID/UTB. 2013. Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo da a conocer resultados de implementación de una parcela demostrativa de arroz bajo el sistema SRI. Instituto de Invertigacion y Desarrolo (UTB) website. July 29.
• Mendoza Andrade, Víctor. 2012. ¿Qué es el SRI? El Telégrafo, June 16.
• Mendoza Andrade, Víctor. 2012. La tecnificación agrícola. El Telégrafo, January 30.
• Mendoza Andrade, Víctor. 2012. La dialéctica científica se enfrenta en el arroz. El Telégrafo, January 16.
• Mendoza Andrade, Víctor. 2012. El cultivo del arroz, buenas noticias. El Telégrafo, January 2.
• Gil Chang, Jorge V. 2008. Cultivo de Arroz Sistema Intensificado SICA-SRI en Ecuador. Experiencia Dedicada a los Pequeños Agricultores de Arroz. FUNDEC. Admicorporacion. System of Rice Intensification website. (68 p., 1.27 MB pdf) [published as an 80-page hard copy in 2009
• Gil Chang, Jorge V. 2008. Breve reseña del Sistema Intensificado del Cultivo de Arroz (SICA / SRI): Primera validación para pequeños productores en Ecuador. Fundación para el Desarrollo Agrícola del Ecuador (FUNDEC). System of Rice Intensification website. (2p. pdf)

Presentations

• Gil Chang, Jorge. 2017 (October). Avances con SRI en Las Americas. Poster Presented by Jorge Gil Chang at the Second Regional Exchange: Advances with SRI in the Americas.
• Gil Chang, Jorge V. 2011 (October). SRI/SICA: Sistema intensificado de cultivo de arroz, experiencias y vivencias de Ecuador. PowerPoint by Jorge Gil Chang, FUNDEC, Ecuador, presented at the First Workshop on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Latin America at EARTH University in Costa Rica, Oct. 31-Nov. 1. 34 slides.
  
  

 

• Gil Chang, Jorge V. 2008 (May). Méthodo De Siembra Originado En Madagascar: Sistema Intensificado De Cultivo De Arroz - (SRI-SICA) En Ecuador. 18 slides (4.33 MB pdf). (Download presentation as pdf file of PowerPoint presentation).

Videos

• 2012 (August 14). Sistema Intensificado de Cultivo de Arroz SRI - SICA en Ecuador (Español). Part 1 (17:47 min) and Part 2 (17.47 min). Produced Jorge V. Gil Chang. sricornell channel, YouTube. [Sistema Intensificado de Cultivo de Arroz (SRI - SICA en Español) en Ecuador: Introducción y validación en Ecuador. Primera reunión, Asociación 25 de Abril.]

Social Media

• Arroz SRI/SICA is a public Facebook discussion group moderated by Jorge Gil Chang since 2014. As of March 2018, there are 60 members of the group.